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Tengo Famigli a : A review of Joe DiPietro’s off-Broadway play Over the River and through the Woods By Aicha Cissé
At first, it looks like a classic Italian family dinner, but as the story progresses, the characters of Over the River and through the Woods seem to mirror our own family. With a lot of humor and some sentimentality, Joe Dipietro’s endearing off-Broadway play conveys a universal theme: family is the center of life. hat might initially seem like a comical portrayal of the eccentricities of a dysfunctional family reveals itself to be a heart-warming tribute to the Italian mantra “tengo famiglia”. Set in New Jersey, Over the River centers on Nick Cristano, a young single marketing consultant who has a Sunday dinner tradition with his both sets of grandparents - each of them reminds us of at least one embarrassing relative. Nick’s parents retired and moved to Florida, making him the only relative who regularly visits the grandparents. Nonna Aida is a gifted cook to whom everyone looks hungry and who believes a good meal is the solution to any problem. Her husband grandpa Frank has had his car keys taken away for running into things and refuses to turn on the air conditioner before the 4th of July. Nick’s paternal grandparents are “the loudest people you will ever meet”. His Grandpa Nunzio loves telling pointless anecdotes and his wife Emma believes religion can solve anything and desperately prays for Nick to get married. Both consider themselves” not loud, but passionate”. This routine is disrupted one Sunday when Nick announces he’s been offered a promotion and is moving to Seattle. The announcement doesn’t sit too well with his devastated grandparents who decide to hatch a scheme to get their grandson to stay in New Jersey. On Nick’s next visit his grandparents invite Caitlin O’Hare, a sweet single girl from the
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neighborhood. What ensues is a hilarious dinner at which Nick is embarrassed on new levels. Just as the grandparents the audience hopes the plan works. The play remains however realistic to its bittersweet ending. Over the River reminds us of the invisible ties that bind us to the ones we love. DiPietro’s off-Broadway comedy has been enjoying unabated success all over the world. The playwright may have imagined the plot, but he based the characters on his grandparents. In fact, they are ‘pretty true to life’. Nick’s dilemma, the story’s universal theme, is a challenge we all have to face when trying to climb the corporate ladder without stepping over family time. “I was like Nick in many ways. My grandparents were Italian immigrants and we often clashed over the differences between their world and mine. In the end, it’s hard to balance work and family, but you must try to. I think you have to be a little selfish but at the same time, honour those who got you to where you are,” explains DiPietro. Over the River exemplifies how art can unite different cultures. Anyone can relate to the characters. As DiPietro said: “Same story, just different food,” v
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